Electronic Health Technology Views and News

CDW Health: HIMSS Keynoters 2003-2014

I’m a huge fan of kick-ass infographics and the folks at CDW Health continue to deliver. In the company’s most recent image, there’s a succinct and engaging snapshot of the past decade’s HIMSS keynote speakers. Certainly, there are some head scratches here, and looking at them in this way (speakers compiled in a single graphic) might make one wonder if the organization simply threw a bunch of darts at a wall with pictures of random — though successful — leaders hoping to see who they could get.

Dating back to 2003 when the CEO of GE presented the company’s perspective on the space — which looks nothing like the landscape of today — through Newt Gingrich, Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest Airlines (what?!?!?) to Bill Frist (seriously?), Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint-Nextel (see how well that went) and the Clintons, as well as the founder of Twitter, there seems to be little foresight nor planning for which leaders might be able to provide the best perspective on the current and future trends of health IT.

If nothing else, let’s concede that Dennis Quaid was a celebrity job and nothing more, even given the problems he had with his twin children’s health shortly after they were born.

Moving beyond this, though, perhaps most interesting about this graphic is the simple fact that President Bush actually established the ONC, and created much advancement and fodder for HIMSS, and though Gingrich (a Bush ally) was a keynoter, the organization seems to have switched political affiliation, at least in the last two years.

So, what are your thoughts about the following? Have you heard each of these individuals speak? Who was your favorite? Least favorite?

Personally, I have a company crush on this organization (after all, the company named this publication a top 50 health IT site in 2013).